OPEN - The Business Card

The preferred American Express credit card for small businesses used to be called The Corporate Card. Entrepreneurs who had chosen to escape the various corporations they had worked for, had no real credit card dedicated to their world. They had to walk around with a Corporate Card. We discovered that membership perks attached to this product, were astonishingly good benefits. Yet, according to Jeremy Diamond's research, no member really knew what the product could do for them. When diving deeper into the world of small business, we learned one more thing; no matter what the trade, service or product they offer, small businesses are always open when their banks aren't. We took the long list of benefits and placed it in front of the Card, thereby making these benefits the actual product. Choosing a name came easy; OPEN. For the first time Amex had a product that wasn't made of plastic. In fact, we had created a small business network where businesses could find answers to their questions, benefits for support, and quick financial access. Now, all they needed was the key to 'OPEN' these benefits; The American Express Business Card.

For the first time, American Express learned to celebrate one of their core audiences: the independent business community. On a national basis, American Express instantly began competing with the closest relationship those small businesses have; their business banker. Within one month of the launch, JPMorgan Chase fired back with their own small business campaign. We knew we were doing something right when a national bank gets nervous enough to defend their territories. Since its inception, OPEN has been Amex' product line with a constant and dedicated marketing budget. It has become their core and most important business line of products. American Express added the OPEN logo to the back of their business cards, something they had never done before: It simply reads: OPEN.